Stand By You
by JohnGreenGirl
Summary: Livy Harrison was left without a home and without a group after some especially tragic events. Though the start is rough, stumbling upon the prison may be the best thing that ever happened to Livy-especially where Daryl Dixon is involved.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue **_

* * *

The Georgia sun was blazing hot, but that was nothing new. The distant growls and haphazard footfalls of walkers wasn't new, either. What was new was the sight of the formerly overrun prison grounds cleared out and inhabited by regular, living people. Livy Harrison had just begun to smile at the sight when a shot rang out. The impact of the bullet sent her twisting in a half circle before falling to the ground.

"_Fuck_. That person was alive, Glenn!" Daryl Dixon yelled up to a guard tower where the young Korean was perched. Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, he followed it up with a 'cover me' as he ran through the double layered prison gates. It didn't take Daryl long to reach her, and when he did, even the usually stern hunter had to smile.

"You are one lucky broad, ya know that?" The unconscious girl at his feet was wearing police Kevlar. At worst, she'd end up with some cracked ribs, which Hershel could easily tape up. Daryl easily scooped her up into his arms before moving low and fast towards the gates where Rick and Carl waited to help him in.

"Is she dead? Did Glenn...?" Rick asked, moving in quick tandem with his son to get Daryl inside safely. "Nah, man, look. She has a police vest." Daryl straightened for Rick to see. The girl was still out, but she was breathing. It was a little shaky, but she was more than alive. Rick looked down at the girl, taking in the color still staining her freckled cheeks. She looked around Maggie's age.

"Take her to Hershel. We can question her once she wakes up." Around that time, Glenn came running up to them. His face was terribly worried as he looked into Daryl's, but when he shook his head Glenn smiled and laughed with relief. "Oh, man. I really thought she was a walker with the way she was stumbling around out there. Oh, man. I could have killed her."

By this time, the whole group had gathered outside, curious about the commotion out front. Carol was handing the baby off to Beth while Maggie made her way to Glenn. Hershel stood carefully balanced on his crutches, and Michonne lingered in the back. She still didn't feel entirely a part of the group, especially with her only true connection being holed up in Woodbury. She would never understand why Andrea chose to stay there.

"I reckon Glenn figured she was a walker, or a Woodbury spy. Can't blame him for taking the shot either way," Daryl said to Hershel as he helped the old man and Carol undo the velcro straps of the vest. It hadn't been but a few weeks since they had saved Glenn and Maggie from Woodbury and Daryl had nearly died with his brother. But now Merle was down in the basement. He was safe. Not happy, but safe, and that's all that mattered to Daryl. When Carol lifted the girl's shirt to reveal a lacy blue bra, Daryl excused himself to talk to his brother.

Just because she hadn't come heavily armed didn't mean the girl hadn't been a part of Woodbury. If she was, though, chances were that Merle would recognize her. "Well well well. If it ain't my baby brother. To what do I owe this occasion?"

Daryl rolled his eyes. "If you'd be good, you could come outta here and hang out with me all day. Like old times." Flipping a chair so that it faced his brother, Daryl straddled it and rested his arms on its back. "A girl came up to the prison today. Looked about Maggie and Glenn's age, so early twenties. She got black curly hair in a braid and more freckles than anyone could count. Sound familiar at all? Know anyone like that from Woodbury?"

Merle chewed on a toothpick in a show of mock contemplativeness. He looked his brother up and down, thinking he needed a hair cut like nobody's business. His little brother had gone from lone wolf to sheriff's pet. But he was still Daryl and Merle still loved him. "What makes you think she was from Woodbury?" Merle asked around his toothpick.

"She was wearin' a police vest when she walked up. There was a gun in her holster and a knife strapped to her leg, but she was alone. I don't know. We just have to be careful. Looked to me like a girl who'd lost her group, but Rick won't want to take any chances. I thought maybe if you could help us out and say if she's Woodbury or not Rick might trust you a little more."

At that, Merle smirked at his brother. "Well, I reckon. You gonna just waltz me in to identify her and then we'll all be friends and hold hands? What even happened to her? Y'all take her captive?" Daryl rolled his eyes.

"No, Glenn shot her on accident. Thought she was a walker. She was stumblin' around, looked real weak to me. Either way, I'm tryin' to help you, so shut your trap and c'mon." The sound of the cell door unlocking sounded like temporary freedom to Merle, but he'd take anything over spending all day down there by himself again. He was getting cabin fever from it. Even if all the faces except one hated him, it would be good to have a change of scenery.

Hershel did not look pleased to see Merle out of his cell, but he kept his opinions to himself. As did Carol, for which Daryl was thankful. He wasn't keen on pissing off his friend. They had already finished taping up her ribs, but she was still out. Daryl re-evaluated the description he had given his brother and figured he should have added in the funny crooked scar on the girl's forehead. It was thin and silvery, but very long. It reminded him of his own scar from the time Andrea's bullet had grazed his head.

"Well, does she look familiar, brother?" Merle shook his head. "I can honestly say I ain't ever seen her. Unless Woodbury got a new wave of population after I left, there ain't no way she can be one of 'em." Hershel looked up at Daryl, who shrugged.

"Guess we'll go let Rick know. Y'all just watch her until she wakes up I suppose."


	2. Chapter One

**_Chapter One_**

* * *

_Oh God. Why can't I breathe right?_ I thought when I woke up. The sun was gone, and instead I saw a pale gray ceiling. "Oh! Hershel, she's awake. You'd best go get Rick." I heard someone say, and when I looked to my left I saw a woman with very short hair. She smiled.

"Hi, my name's Carol," she said, with a little wave. I tried to sit up and instantly regretted it. It felt like someone was repeatedly punching me in the ribs. "I'm Livvy," I said, or tried to. My throat was so dry that it came out as an awful rasp. Carol helped me sit up and gave me a canteen of water to drink from just as a man with dark curly hair and stubble walked in.

"Hello," he said. "I'm Rick Grimes. My people say you're not from Woodbury. Do you even know what that is?"

I shook my head. "No. Was that a town before? I'm Livy Harrison. Me and my people were lucky. We found an underground emergency shelter. It was small, but it was really well stocked. But, um, things went south. They... They gave up. Committed suicide, and they all turned. I barely got out alive." I looked down, remembering how hard it had been.

"I didn't even know for sure if there would be people here. We passed this place looking for somewhere to stay. We didn't have enough people to try to make this place a home, so we just left it. It was the closest place, though, so I had to check." I looked up at Rick Grimes. I couldn't tell if he believed me or not. His face was hard and blank.

"One of ours shot at you. Thought you was a walker. You were lucky to be wearin' that vest. Hershel here says he cracked some of your ribs. You're welcome to stay here at least until you heal, but if you can prove yourself you can stay with us."

He motioned towards a man with shaggy brown hair behind him. "We still don't have enough cells cleared out for you to have your own, so you'll be staying in Daryl's so he can keep an eye on you. We also confiscated your gun and knife."

"Oh," I said as Rick left the room. The man he identified as Daryl gave a curt nod and followed behind him. "Don't mind Rick," Carol said, taking a seat beside me. "He's been having a rough time of things. He recently lost his wife, and he's still taking on the responsibility of keeping us all safe."

I nodded, not really sure why a virtual stranger would be telling me this. She didn't owe me an explanation, but I owed these people my life. Carol asked if she could check my bandages, to make sure they were sticking. She explained that they didn't know how old some of the medical supplies they had found were, and Hershel was always a little worried they wouldn't work well.

Just as Carol was lowering my shirt back into place, a pretty blonde girl with a baby stopped inside the doorway. "Daddy said to tell y'all dinner is ready," she said with a tentative smile. The baby she was holding looked pretty young, maybe not more than a handful of months old.

"We'll be there in just a bit, Beth honey. Livy here just woke up, and cracked ribs are no joke." The girl nodded and walked away while Carol offered me a hand. I swung my feet over and winced. She was right; cracked ribs weren't a joke.

"I'm sorry I look so awful. All of y'all seem pretty well taken care of here." Carol gave a small laugh. "We found a generator in the basement of the prison. Sometimes we're able to make it work. The water isn't warm and I doubt it's all that clean, but it gets the job done."

Carol took me down to the cafeteria of the prison. Tables had been pushed together to make one long strip, like a huge dining table. A girl with short hair and Beth were putting food on the table. Rick was sitting beside Hershel and holding the baby now, and I figured it was his since Carol said he recently lost his wife. There was a little boy sitting in between Daryl and a black woman. On the other side of Daryl sat a man whose arm suddenly ended in a hunk of metal. A young Asian man walked through the door and promptly kissed the girl with short hair on the cheek.

A whole lot of eyes turned to look at me at once, and I felt myself blush. "Um, hello." I said. Again Daryl nodded and the man beside him said "'Mornin', Sunshine." Beth and the girl with short hair smiled, but the Asian boy looked uncomfortable.

"I-I'm sorry about your ribs. I'm the one who shot you. I'm Glenn, and this is Maggie and Beth." I smiled back at them as Carol finished introductions by telling me that the boy was Rick's son Carl, the baby was his sister Judith, the man sitting beside Daryl was his brother Merle, and the young black woman was Michonne.

"It's okay," I told Glenn. "I would have done the same. You were just protecting your people." Carol led me to sit across from Hershel and Rick. I could tell that Rick was exhausted. There were bags under his eyes and he looked much older than I suspected he was.

"How are those ribs holding up?" Hershel asked with what I could only describe as a grandfatherly smile. "Oh, they're okay! Sore, but that's expected. Thank y'all for your help. All of y'all," I said, looking around the table. "Getting shot was a stroke of luck. I wasn't going to last much longer out there." I smiled over at Glenn when I said it and he blushed while Maggie bumped him with her shoulder.

Their dinner seemed to have been raided from the food stores of the prison, but I didn't care. Food was food and I hadn't seen any in days. Who cared if it was a sad excuse for stroganoff?

"Where'd ya come from, Sunshine?" Merle asked. He didn't seem to care that Carol had told everyone my name was Livy. "Originally? New Mexico. I came to Georgia for college, and then this mess started. After, I was with some of the students that lived in the dorms and apartments around mine."

Merle started chuckling and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Tell me, Sunshine, you ever see the chupacabra?" The question reminded me of a time in high school, and I felt the color rising in my cheeks. "Well, I'm not gonna say I saw it, but one time me and some high school buddies went on a chupacabra hunt after a neighbor's goats started going missing..."

This caused Merle to burst into a fit of laughter while Daryl grumbled under his breath. The other members of the group laughed, too, but not with near as much gusto as Merle. He even wiped a tear from his eye. "Shiiit, Sunshine. You're gonna be shackin' up with my baby brother while you heal, right? Y'all can bond over the chupacabra. Might even get yerself a husband out of it."

Daryl rolled his eyes and shook his head and I smiled apologetically at him. Rick looked up from his daughter, who was eagerly sucking on a bottle. "What happened to your group? If you don't mind me askin'." The question sent a shiver down my spine that did not do good things for my ribs.

I sighed, which also hurt, and began my story. "Like I said, I met up with some people from around my college. There was housing for students with families, too, so there was this young couple and their baby with us. We were on the road for awhile, just camping out wherever we could. And then... This is going to sound pretty ridiculous, but we literally stumbled upon this fallout shelter. I guess some rich family had it build out in the woods not far behind a pretty swanky looking neighborhood filled with walkers."

I stopped to take a drink from my glass of water. "There were six of us, including the baby. Nobody was in the shelter, not even any walkers, so we didn't have to clear it out. I guess the family never made it there, which is pretty sad but it was lucky for us. I, um, I ran track so they would always send me out for runs. The night that everything happened, I had gone out alone to check the traps another of our group members had set up. We had so much food in there, but we were trying to save the canned stuff just in case we ever needed it."

Everyone must have known the end of the story was coming because it suddenly seemed like everyone was leaning forward. "The baby, he wasn't healthy. He never had been. That boy was sick from the day he was born and his parents knew even before the world went to hell that he wasn't going to live long. While I was out checking traps, he died. We didn't know then that everyone turns whether you were bitten or not. So when his parents promptly committed suicide after their son died, they came back, too. The others weren't prepared for that. They all turned and I had no idea." "So, yeah, I walked into an underground cave of walkers. I locked 'em up all in one room and got the hell out of there. I had been stumbling around for nearly a week when I made it to the prison and saw all y'all here. Thank you for bringing me in. I wouldn't have made it much longer."

There was a general sound of 'you're welcome' coming from around the table. We finished dinner with talking of chores and things that needed to be done. I was instructed to help Hershel plant the fields. I offered to help wash dishes, but I was shooed off by Carol and Beth and told to follow Daryl to his cell. Glenn and Rick took Merle by the arms and led him away. For some reason, it seemed like they only trusted one brother, and that was pretty odd to me.

"You can sleep on the bottom bunk," Daryl said once we got there. "I figure you're not fit for the top bunk with them ribs. Best be gettin' to sleep. Hershel will wanna start early." Daryl handed me an orange jumpsuit. "For pajamas. I figured you wouldn't wanna wear those clothes much longer. Carol and Beth'll probably wash 'em for ya if you ask."

With that, Daryl left the room so I could change. It was hard, what with the ribs, but I managed to get it done. I layed down on the bottom bunk. It wasn't much comfortable, but it was certainly better than the ground. I fell asleep in minutes.


	3. Chapter Two

**_Chapter Two_**

* * *

In my dream, I could hear Jordan crying. That baby was always crying. The poor thing never felt very good. I got up from my bed on the floor and walked through the tiny shelter to the other room, stepping around sleeping bodies so as not to wake anyone. Why weren't his parents tending to him?

When I walked into the other room where his makeshift crib was, he suddenly stopped. It didn't look like he was breathing anymore. I reached out to him and suddenly his eyes popped open but they weren't his eyes. They were the milky, sickly yellow eyes of a walker. His arms shot out, shockingly strong, pulling my hand towards his tiny baby teeth. All the while he screaming awful throaty, grunting noises and hisses.

I pulled my arm away from him, hoping he wouldn't hop up and follow me. But when I turned around, I saw Jordan's parents, their throats slit and still oozing blood as they clawed at me.

I slammed my head off Daryl's top bunk when I sat up, trying to wake myself from the dream. "Ow, dammit," I whispered, cupping my forehead. Daryl was down on the ground in seconds, his crossbow aimed at the doorway.

"What? Oh, I forgot about you," he said after sweeping the room and finally set his eyes on me. I was shaky and I could feel the tears on the verge of falling, but I tried to smile at him.

"I'm sorry. I had a bad dream." My voice broke over the words. I could barely see Daryl in the dim light of the moon, but he looked unsure of himself from what I could make out.

"Was it about your people?" he asked after several long seconds. I took a shaky breath and nodded. Daryl watched me a moment longer and then nodded in reply and moved to climb back up to the top bunk. Without thinking about the fact that I hadn't even known this man a whole twenty four hours, I reached out and slipped my hand into his.

"I'm so sorry," I said pulling my hand away from his quickly. "I'm sorry." I could feel the blood filling my entire face. If the lights were on, he would have seen one hell of a blush.

"It's okay," he whispered. He didn't smile, but his voice was sincere. I layed back down, but couldn't roll away from him due to my ribs so I closed my eyes instead. Shortly after, I heard his bed creak as it took on his weight.

* * *

It felt amazing to be able to feel the sun on my back and be able to enjoy it without having to worry about walkers attacking me. Glenn and Maggie were walking along the inside of the outer fence and taking down walkers that were gathering there. I was helping Hershel plant seed in rows of dirt that Carl and Michonne had turned up.

I didn't know for sure, but I guessed that the fact that someone was always up in the guard tower had something to do with this Woodbury place Rick had mentioned the day before. Rick himself was up in the tower, scanning the horizon in all directions.

"How do you like the prison so far?" Hershel asked. He was seated near the little garden, instructing me which seeds to put in what row. I hadn't realized until today that he wasn't merely crippled, he was missing his entire leg below the knee.

"It's nice here. It feels safe. The shelter was okay, but going outside was always scary since we were underground. We never knew if there would be walkers by the latch above ground." As far as any of us could tell, it was early spring out, but it was still hot. According to Hershel, he was hoping these crops would grow by fall.

"There was so much stuff in that thing. Baby stuff, too. I feel kind of bad knowing all the things that there are that could be used for Judith. Do you think Rick would be interested in going to get them?" Even if Rick decided he didn't want me to stay here with them, I wanted Judith to have those things. Especially the clothes. The family that built that shelter must have had a baby daughter, because there were baby girl clothes there. I remembered how Jordan had to sleep in frilly nightgowns. It brought tears to my eyes.

"That's something you'll have to bring up with Rick, but I'm sure he'd appreciate it. It does get rough trying to provide for that little girl."

The roar of a motorcycle broke the silence as Daryl came barreling toward the gates. He circled around the prison, giving Glenn and Maggie time to get to the gates to open them as well as drawing the walkers away from the gates. The walkers didn't stand a chance of keeping up with the motorcycle.

"Did you get anything?" Carl asked as soon as Daryl was inside the gates. He had gone hunting in the words early in the morning. Even though the group ate three times a day, the portions were small to conserve food. I could tell that it wasn't easy on Carl to always be a little bit hungry.

"You bet I did," he said and showed Carl the contents of the bag. "Me an' Merle are gonna skin these and clean 'em. We'll have some squirrel stew by supper time." I had also figured that Merle must have had something to do with this Woodbury thing at one point. It didn't make sense as to why they would keep him separated from the group but let Daryl have such a big role in it.

"We better check up on those ribs before supper and lights out. Could you get my crutches for my, Livy?" Hershel was really so grandfatherly. It made me miss my own grandfather. Luckily, he had died before the walkers had come, so he never had to see the hell on earth. "Sure thing, Hershel," I said with a smile.

Even though I was terribly curious about what Woodbury was and what threat it posed to this group, I decided my first real day there was not a good time to ask questions. Instead, Hershel and I made small talk while he prodded my bruised side and retaped my ribs.

"Is staying in Daryl's cell working out okay for you? I know he can seem rough around the edges, but he's a good man. He's done more for me and my family than I could ever repay." I had just learned that Hershel counted Glenn in his family, and that he didn't think Maggie could have ever found a better man even without the apocalypse happening.

"Oh, it's fine, really. I mean, it's no slumber party by any stretch, but I don't have any issues with it." Taping hurt something awful, and I knew Hershel was keeping up small talk to distract me from the pain. "How long before this will heal?"

"About three weeks, usually. If all's clear by then, you should offer to take Rick to that shelter to get things for Judith. Might improve your chances of stayin' here." Again, I got Hershel his crutches and offered him my hand. "I didn't mean to imply earlier... I really would like for y'all to have those things, even if I don't stay here. It's more than I would ever need and it would just go to waste."

"That's kind of you. You should go rest. Planting surely put some strain on you today, and we don't wanna complicate this any. I wouldn't have the means to treat anything internal. There's a library down that way," Hershel said, pointing down the catwalk of cells with his crutch.

A lot of the books in the library were murder mystery novels, and I was just thinking that it must have been some sort of sick joke for the prison workers when I heard a knock on the doorway. I guess I must have been looking through the massive room for a lot longer than I thought, because when I turned Daryl was leaning against the wall.

"Ya want food?" He was looking decidedly dirtier after his day of hunting. His hair was still wet from sweat for the most part and his clothes and face were streaked with mud. Still, his eyes were a pretty, intense blue.

"Oh, yeah. That'd be great."

"Then you'd best hurry before Merle takes your portion for his own." He started walking without waiting for me. Daryl walked in front of me the entire way, leading me back to the mess hall where everyone was sitting down to eat.

Hershel, Beth, and Maggie were holding hands, saying Grace over there food. It was really amazing that they were still so strong in their faith. I mean, I still believed in God, but I was too mad at Him to offer my thanks.

Dinner passed much the same way that it had the day before, with general discussions. Sometimes Merle or Carol threw a question my way, but for the most part I was quiet. I wasn't really a member of the group, and it was obvious. I was more ostracized than Merle, and I wasn't kept in a cell all day. Still, dinner was nice in the dim light of candles and kerosene lanterns. And Carl was right, this squirrel stew Carol made was much heartier than anything I'd eaten in a long while.

I wasn't looking forward to lights out. That meant going to bed, which meant sleeping. Which meant nightmares. Again at the end of the meal, Rick gave Judith to her brother and assisted Glenn in escorting Merle out.

"C'mon," Daryl said to me, but he was watching his brother. He didn't look happy.

"I'm supposed to lock ya in here, seeing as I have night watch half the night tonight, but I ain't gonna do that. You're no criminal. I'm just gonna shut the door, but don't go letting the others know." I didn't know what could have inspired this, but I thanked him all the same. Daryl took his crossbow and left.

* * *

I sincerely hoped that leaving the cell didn't attract anyone's attention. I just couldn't take sitting indoors in the dark anymore. It reminded me too much of the shelter, and I needed to be outside where I could breath without feeling like I was drowning on land. I just hoped Daryl was still on watch.

Slipping out of one of the side doors proved to be easier than it looked. Outside was a totally different atmosphere than during the day. It was still muggy and warm, and I could hear the buzzes and chirps of insects as well as walker moans and groans. I knew it was still safe with the two fences, but something about the dark of night always made walkers seem closer than they were.

I made my way over to the watch tower that I always saw one of the group manning. Just barely in the light of moons and stars, I could see Daryl's crossbow perched on the edge of the watchtower's balcony, poised and ready to shoot any threat.

I knew I was probably pushing boundaries, but I didn't want to be alone and I couldn't go to anyone else since no one was supposed to know that I wasn't locked in Daryl's cell for real. So I started to climb up the tall ladder to the watchtower balcony, even though raising my arms stabbed at my ribs.

"Thought I told you to stay in the cell." The man must have had super sensitive hearing from his years as a hunter.

"Well. You did, but I, uh. I couldn't take it in there. I couldn't sleep and it's suffocating in there." He looked over at me. For the first time I could actually make out the expression on his face. It looked like he was torn, like he was considering something.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Daryl scooted over. He didn't outright ask me to sit with him. He didn't even pat the spot beside him. But I took it. I pulled myself all the way onto the balcony and sat beside Daryl, quite a few inches in between us for good measure.


	4. Chapter Three

_**Chapter Three**_

* * *

"It's nice outside," I said, looking up towards the stars. "If you bug me with small talk, I _will_ lock ya in my cell."

"Sorry." I pulled the elastic out of my hair and started to unbraid it so that I could re-do it. It was always so hard to untangle all of my amazingly unruly curls without a mirror, but I could feel it starting to mat. If Daryl didn't want to talk, I'd have to occupy myself somehow.

"How in the hell do you get all of that into a braid?" he asked as soon as all my hair was free. I shook my head to loosen it and it only got bigger. "Impressive, huh? The perks of having an Italian grandmother."

Daryl looked me over while I finger-combed my hair. "You gonna tell me what happens in them bad dreams of yours, or did you come out here to bond or somethin'?" I had actually gone outside to try to avoid thoughts about my nightmares, so I sent Daryl a glare to try to convey that. I finished braiding my hair before answering him.

"If you really want to know, it's about the baby we had with my group. His name was Jordan. He wasn't much older than a year. His parents said he had some kind of disease, but I couldn't pronounce the name of it if my life depended on it. All I know is that it shortened his life span. One day, he just died. Like I said the other night, I wasn't there."

The only recognition Daryl gave me was a nod, so I continued. "I'm sure you've heard Judith pitching a fit when she's hungry, right? Screaming her head off. And I know you've heard walker noises. But imagine those two together. A baby screaming, but not like a high pitched wail like a baby should make. Like a walker noise, but longer and louder. That's what I hear in my dreams."

I started shaking just thinking about it, so I wrapped my arms around myself carefully to avoid my bandages. Daryl sat looking out at the walkers bumping into each other and going nowhere while he chewed on his thumb nail.

"We should go in. Glenn will be takin' over for me soon. I'll walk ya in, get the cell door shut real good again so no one'll question it." Daryl went down the ladder first and then waited at the bottom for me. When I slipped on one of the last rungs, I felt his hands wrap around my hips to steady me.

"Easy. I don't know what in the hell you were thinkin', climbin' up a ladder with cracked ribs." With his hands securing me, I carefully made my way back down. "Thank you," I said when I had my feet on the ground. Daryl moved his hands away and grunted.

Back inside the prison, we all but tiptoed so as not to disturb anybody. Daryl moved so quietly at all times, like a ghost. Once I was back in the cell and the bars were closed, Daryl all but sprinted back down the catwalk to make it back outside. Not even a minute later I heard Glenn's sleepy, heavy footsteps.

* * *

I had been at the prison for a little over a week when Andrea showed up. Her arrival disrupted a routine of helping with chores, attempting to make friends with the group, and sneaking out during the nights that Daryl had duty. She came around noon. I had just had my first shower in a long, long time after Hershel had carefully covered the tape on my side with plastic.

I was sitting in the grass with Beth and Judith to let my hair dry when the sound of tires on grass and walker bones caught everyone's attention. Carl, who had been shooting hoops on the basketball court, was suddenly alert with his gun in his hand like a tiny child soldier. Beth scooped Judith up and I helped her get back into the prison quickly. Carol aimed her gun from the guard tower as Beth tore inside, yelling for Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Glenn, and Maggie.

As the others marched outside, Rick pressed my gun into my hand and motioned for me to come with them. "We need all hands possible." Even Merle was with them. Carol called down to us from the tower after looking through her binoculars. She sounded dumbfounded.

"It's Andrea. Guys, it's Andrea!" The shock on the faces of the group was immediate. I had no idea who this person was, but it apparently meant a lot to everybody else. Carefully, Daryl and Rick opened the outer gate so that she could drive through. "Hot damn, Blondie came back," Merle said, shaking his head.

I watched as Rick first checked the car the blonde woman had driven into the outer area and then hugged her. When I looked back at Michonne, she was smiling. It wasn't like a full on, toothy smile, but it was a grin and it was the first time I'd seen her look even a little bit happy.

"What is she doing here?" Carl asked, seeming to be the only one not pleased with the arrival. Andrea was ushered into the prison yard and everyone started talking at once.

"Milton helped me get out," she said to Merle. "I should have gone with you guys when y'all came for Daryl." Andrea squeezed Michonne's arm when she finally reached her. It seemed the two were friends. Michonne was so quiet and kept to herself so often that the idea was almost foreign, even though I liked her.

"You should have come with me when I left." Michonne said in a tone that implied gentle scolding.

Somehow, for the first time I'd ever been there, everyone ended up inside with no one in the guard tower. Everyone seemed happy and free, which was also new. I was used to this group's extreme cautiousness, and this sight was entirely new. With everyone seated in the mess hall, Andrea finally noticed something was different about her groups of friends.

"Who are you?" She asked. "Where's Shane? And Lori? And T-Dog?" The names quieted everything instantly. Rick excused himself to find Beth and the baby. I figured Lori must have been Rick's dead wife I had heard about in passing, but I had no idea who Shane and T-Dog were.

"They're all dead." Carl said without missing a beat. That kid could be sweet one moment and unsettling the next. "And her name is Livy." With that, he too left the room. Carol wrapped her arm around Andrea; she was visibly shaken.

Rick returned with the baby in his arms and Beth in tow. I had noticed that Rick liked to have Judith with him when he was feeling stressed or upset. "This is Judith," he said. It seemed that was all the explanation Andrea needed as to what had happened to Lori.

"Livy joined us not long ago. She lost her group." Rick didn't mention the part where I could be asked to leave soon. I didn't know if this was because he'd decided I could stay or because he wanted the group to appear as big and strong as he could.

"I see," Andrea was looking around the prison. "I came here to warn you. The Governor wants this place. He wants to meet with you, Rick. Says he wants to do this 'peacefully' if possible. Work out a fair trade of sorts."

Daryl was standing behind me, mumbling. "That fuckin' psycho don't know how to play fair." I heard Merle clap his brother on the should. "Don't worry 'bout it, baby brother. We'll make him sorry he ever messed with us Dixons."

"He's not having the prison. I got Judith and Carl to think about. Hershel's only got one leg now, and besides that he has Beth. We've built a life here. We have too much invested here, and your Governor isn't going to take it from us."

"He isn't _my_ Governor," Andrea asserted. Maybe she was some kind of spy for this group? I still didn't understand what had caused the bad blood between the two groups, but it seemed like this Governor was nothing more than jealous and selfish.

"Maybe y'all will be able to work something out. There are a lot of people in Woodbury, and it's getting harder and harder to keep them safe. The town just isn't up to it. Maybe they could come here and-"

Rick cut her off by slamming his palms down on the table in front of her. "There is no _fucking_ way I'm letting that lunatic around my children! I'll die before I let him take this place from them."

Andrea was visibly stricken. There was nothing she could do, though. Rick gave Judith to Carol and left the room. It seemed that his decision was final. Without Rick there to give the information to, she directed her attention to Daryl and Hershel.

"He wants to meet with Rick, in a little barn about halfway between Woodbury and the prison. Phillip said he thought it would be best to do it on nuetral ground. If Daryl's willing to go with me today, I can show him the location, but then I have to leave. I have to get back to Woodbury before he notices I'm gone."

"I'll come," Daryl said. "But I'm taking Merle with me. I ain't about to walk into one of his traps. We better get goin'. We don't want this kindly Governor of yours to rough you up too bad for disobeyin' him."

Daryl grabbed his crossbow and then took the liberty of giving Merle a gun. "What're you waiting for?" He asked Andrea as he walked off.

Those of us remaining were a little unsure what to do with ourselves after Merle and Andrea scrambled to follow Daryl. Glenn offered to take over Carol's shift so that she could watch the baby. Beth said she was going to go find Carl. Maggie stood to help her father and Michonne left without a word.

I walked the halls until I found Rick in a side room of the prison. He was pacing back and forth, and his face looked stern. I knocked a bit on the door frame to get his attention.

"Oh. Livy." He said. He had pulled his gun from its holster but hadn't quite raised it to a reasonable level to shoot anyone. Or thing.

"I wanted to give this back to you," I said, holding out my own gun. "And to tell you Daryl and Merle went with Andrea. She said this Governor man everyone has been talking about wants to meet with you tomorrow. She took them to show them the building."

Rick too my gun from me and nodded. I knew he was young, maybe in his mid thirties, but his graying hair and stubble made him seem older, as did the bags under his eyes. He didn't speak again, so I nodded in return and left.

I didn't know what was going on with this group I had found myself in, but none of it seemed very good.


End file.
